new 2009 Tahoe LTZ owner

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stretchb1953

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wife and stepdaughter went out and bought a used 2009 Tahoe with 137,000 miles on it. has some existing problems. think i got the "reduced power" P2138 problem fixed. big problem now is a "suspension system needs serviced" message on dash window. I have no clue as to what this is other than an auto ride system that my Chilton's manual mentioned. where can i find information/repair manuals for this?
 

Joseph Garcia

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Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

You can find out what suspension you have from the RPO codes on the sticker inside of the glove box.
 

iamdub

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wife and stepdaughter went out and bought a used 2009 Tahoe with 137,000 miles on it. has some existing problems. think i got the "reduced power" P2138 problem fixed. big problem now is a "suspension system needs serviced" message on dash window. I have no clue as to what this is other than an auto ride system that my Chilton's manual mentioned. where can i find information/repair manuals for this?


Welcome to TYF and congrats on the low-mileage find!

I haven't looked in a Chilton or Haynes manual in YEARS. The internet and forums such as this one you're on now have made them almost obsolete. You can be walked through damned-near anything on your rig or referred to threads where others have already been instructed.

Most likely, your suspension message is referring to the Auto Level Control system. Being an LTZ, my bet is it has this system and, at 137K miles, the air bellows on the shocks have worn through and the compressor worked itself to death trying to air them up. It can easily be disabled to stop the messages. But, first, we need to confirm exactly what you have as there are other possibilities for these messages. Post up some clear pics of the RPO label on the inside of your glove box lid and of your rear shocks.
 

iamdub

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Thank you for the welcome. will get those pics as soon as i can. is the compressor engine driven? shocks i think i can change without to much problem.


It's an electric compressor located in the left rear corner on the side of the frame rail, outer side between the frame and bumper cover. You'll see it when you're inspecting the shocks.
 
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stretchb1953

stretchb1953

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wife and stepdaughter went out and bought a used 2009 Tahoe with 137,000 miles on it. has some existing problems. think i got the "reduced power" P2138 problem fixed. big problem now is a "suspension system needs serviced" message on dash window. I have no clue as to what this is other than an auto ride system that my Chilton's manual mentioned. where can i find information/repair manuals for this? This is the only tag I could find in the glove box and this is both shocks. Hope it helps.
 

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iamdub

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Yup. You have ALC (Auto-Level Control) suspension and those air sleeves on the shocks are deteriorated. The usual chain of events is they wear through and leak and the compressor runs more than necessary. The leaks get worse and the compressor eventually runs itself to death. You can replace the shocks and compressor and it'll probably pick up where it left off. OEM shocks, if they're even available, will be really expensive. An aftermarket compressor unit is about $200 last I checked. The shocks have electronically variable valving in addition to the air sleeves. Most, if not all aftermarket shocks that have the air sleeves bypass the electronic valving with a built-in resistor. So the aftermarket shock will connect just like the original with the air and electrical connections, but the variable valving portion won't be operable. The resistor is there just to keep the StabiliTrak and Traction Control Systems happy.

So, if you don't or rarely tow, or don't tow or carry much weight, you can disable the ALC system by removing fuses and install some ~$12 resistors to bypass the other systems. Then, install whatever quality "dumb" shock you want. Bilstein 4600 series are pretty much the #1 choice for this. Lifting or lowering will alter your shock of choice, if either of these are in your plans.
 

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